At what age is it best to let kittens outside?

Hi Ladies,
we have two 19 week old kittens that are crying at the door and windows to go out. What is the best age to let them out? Are they too young to escape a dog or another cat or will they be ok. I am praying they will stay in the garden as we have high fences but I'm worried if they do make it over the fence they will not be able to get back.
Thanks, Julie,

Hi Julie! As an experienced cat lover I make sure my kittens have been spayed/neutered and then let them out at 6 months (or when their stitches have healed if this is later). Mine have all tended to spend their 1st few days exploring in the safety of the garden and then when they gain a little confidence start to go further afeild. We live in area with lots of dogs and cats around and all 4 of mine have been fine (a few minor grazes when jumping from tree to tree etc!). Cats are extremely agile and will defo find a way back! One of mine got a little lost at first, was crying at another neighbours back door!

Did you decide against them being house cats then?
Like the other post says I didn't let mine out until they were spayed/neutered. I have one of each and the vets spayed/neutered them when they were 6 months.

Did you decide against them being house cats then?
Like the other post says I didn't let mine out until they were spayed/neutered. I have one of each and the vets spayed/neutered them when they were 6 months.

Yes I wanted to have them as house cats so no harm can come to them but they are not happy they are crying at the door when dd is in the garden and pushing against the windows I think keeping them in would be cruel. They are still very small, I would hate anything to happen to them.
Julie.

I let mine out a few days after they had been spayed/neutered. They had the time of their lives and went crazy, running around and jumping over things. Although, no harm came to them I wish I'd left it a few more days. My male cat soon got the hang of going over the garden gate (luckily he came back), but my female stayed in the safety of the garden for weeks.

One of my cats used to sit by the back door all day and I'm so glad I made the decision to let him out. Although, I would like to see him more, he adores it outside and it would have been cruel to deny him that.

My kitten did not like being outside until she was about 7 months, then she started going into the garden and gained confidence going over the fences, now she loves to be out & about (she's nearly 2). We didn't actually get her spayed for a while after but then she was doing that mating call thing so thought we'd better get her done!! She wasnt impressed at staying in while she had her collar thing on after being spayed. xxx

My kitties are 4 months old. They've been out in the garden with us a few times just for a few minutes and they love it. Going to get them neutered and microchipped next month and will let them out properly after that!

I've just had a ********** from another website about injections, cat care and letting your kittens out!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had 2 kittens/cats who are over 7 months old were spayed yesterday. We got them 8 weeks ago and the woman we got them from was extremely vague about their vaccinations, age, etc as she never gave us any records at all.

I have no idea what vaccinations are needed as we are hoping to let them out as they've been scratching at the windows to go out.

Spek to your vet and ask if its best to risk them having no injections or risk the having them twice Parveen.
If the lady ou got them from is vague then the probably haven't been vaccinated but I don't know if its dangerous for them to have them twice.
As for letting kittens out they can be neutered at 4 or 5 months now if they are big enough and vaccinated nd wormed, microchipped etc at the same time and them let out once the stitches have healed a bit.

I've just had a ********** from another website about injections, cat care and letting your kittens out!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had 2 kittens/cats who are over 7 months old were spayed yesterday. We got them 8 weeks ago and the woman we got them from was extremely vague about their vaccinations, age, etc as she never gave us any records at all.

I have no idea what vaccinations are needed as we are hoping to let them out as they've been scratching at the windows to go out.

Please help

There is a slight risk if they are done again close together but considering most rescues routinely vaccinate all their cats and dogs soon after coming in (unless an owner hands them in with vaccination details) then I would say the risk is small. Usually an owner will know how old their animals are and when they got them vaccinated, will have the vaccination certificate and know what vets they use. Anyone who is vague could be lying - if they got them from someone else who dis not disclose the information, then they should say so.

Cat vaccines: the usual ones are for cat flu and feline enteritis. Most people also get them vaccinated against feline chlamydophilosis and feline leukaemia. They will usually need an intial dose, followed by another 3 weeks later and as the vaccination may take a little time to work the vet will usually recommend keeping them in for acertain time after the last vaccination. However vaccination schedules may differ between vets so it is best to ask your vet what they recommend.

To the original poster, personally I would not let my cat out at all until it has been neutered, and then from around the age of 6 months. A cat can actually get pregnant at 4 months of age, which is essentially like a child getting pregnant. Also a cat that has had kittens can get pregnant again when the kittens reach six weeks old, even if she is still feeding them.

Letting an un-neutered cat out, aside from unwanted pregnancy also spreads feline leukamia (for those cats not vaccinated against it) and FIV (feline equivalent of HIV). Both these diseases are spread through mating and once a cat contracts either disease, there is no cure - it is a death sentence. The only preventative measures for FIV are neutering or keeping your cat indoors completely. FIV is actually quite high in the cat population - a large percentage of un-neutered males allowed to roam will be carrying this. I worked for a rescue for 6 years and out of the hundreds of male un-neutered cats that came in there were only about a dozen that were clear of FIV. We also had a large number of FIV positive females as well and if a female is FIV positive the chances of her babies also being FIV positive is very likely.

Cats can and will escape from seemingly secure gardens, plus males will also visit. I have known of 4 month old kittens that can quite easily scale a 7 foot wall.